Washing-machine.



c. w. swmsou.

WASHING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED HAY 25.1916.

1,250,528, Patented Dec.18,1917,

o'n'rrnn snares inane CARL W. SWAZQ'SON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WASHING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 25, 1916. Serial No. 99,765).

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL vV. SwansoN, a citizen of the United-States, residlng at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of j Illinois, have invented. certain new and usemg washing tub especially well adapted for power-actuation and to provide improved means for bracing and draining and cleansing the same.

In the drawings, wherein I have shown an embodiment of my invention- Figure 1 is a perspective view with parts broken away showing a tub embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a. central vertical section on a plane including the line 2-2 of Fig. l.

The improved tub shown comprises a body 10 having vertical end walls 1111 each preferably braced by suitable bracing spider 12, attached thereto, the arms of'which converge to a hub 13 from which protrudes a supporting pintle 14:. The tub, of course, is mounted on its pintles-in any suitable frame (as at 15) -for oscillation. Suitable oscillating means, herein typified by the dotted lever 16 may be employed to oscillate the tub, and in, practice the tub is best operated by power connection with an electric motor, so

that it may receive a rapid, uniform movement through an angle of about 60 degrees.

In cross-section the tub is symmetrical with respect to its vertical axis in general design, and the flat end walls conform to the sectional design except for a bottom bracing extension. wardly flaring central mouth 17 meets, at each side, at an obtuse angle 17 a downwardly and outwardly extending belt 18 that angularly joins as at 18 a vertical midbelt 19 which in turn joins-at 19', a lower belt 20 tllat. referably slopes inwardly to- .ward theme iar: line and connects at angle 20 with the bottom side-zone 21. Although the several zones may merge, curvingly into ficiency, the angular arrangement shown. The bottom is preferably formed with two equal side zones 21 each having admin- Preferably, in section, an up slope down to its longitudinal center and connected at angles21 with an apex-strum ture 23, reentrantly raised into thetub. In the form shown, this apex-structure has upwardly converging walls 2e that turn in horizontally in narrow shelves 25 connected by an arched mid-portion 26 that spans the center of the machine.

The end walls 11 preferably have bracing continuations i1 inbent at their lower edges, that close the ends of the reentrant apexportion of the tub bottom, thereby strengthening the structure across its apex iormation.

Along the angles 17' or" the structure where the side walls 17 of the mouth join the side belts 18, an inwardly extending horizontal flange 27; is provided, extending throughout the perimeter of the opening.

This flange receives a cooperating cover 28,

7 preferably made of sheet-metal, that has its ends of the cover-supporting flange-a reinforced strength to resist down-bending. The side portions of the flange 27 have Patented Dec. 1%, i917.

guard-lip continuations 27 vertically downbent so as to lie close against the lips 30 of the cover. The lower edges of such guardlips 27 are out of contact with the'adjacent wall-portions 18 of the casing so as to leave spaces 32, in which up-thrown water, followlng the casing-sldeswhen the tub is oscillated, may be caught and thrown back ,by

the guard lips A projection 35 onone flan-H ing wall ofjthe mouth structure 17 receiving under it one edge or the cover and coiipcrating. latch and notch members 36 and 37,

on the cover and the other wall of saidmouth "I may efiectively serve'tofllock the cover lp cewhenin use. each other, I prefer, for simphcity 5 As a refinement adding" to the practice bility of the machine I provide on the sides;

of the body inwardly facing deflector ridges or projections 38 and 39,- eech preferably .iic

a strip of metal angularly bent to provide a fiat crest 10 and divergentdcfiector walls i1l1, having their bases soldered to the body, also, on the arched crest of the apex 26 I provide longitudinal ribs 42.

To extend centrally across the body heneath the rentrant apex structure I provide a draining and bracing structure 25, preferably in the form of a square tube. Said tube has its rear end a6 lying within the apex and soldered flush against the Wall 24 of the apex, and extends thence beyond the front of the body with a downward in clination, so that its bottom passes below bottom zone 20 at the front of the machine. The top and side Walls of the tube are cut away and joined, generally by soldering, as,

at 47, to the Walls 24, 21 and 20, in front or the apex. The front end of this inclined drain-and-brace tube is capable of being closed or opened as by a stop-cock 48. Openings 49 and 49 lead from the bottom areas on opposite sides of the apex to the drain channel, there being preferably a series of perforations 49 substantially at the angle 20 at the front of the machine and another series of perforations 49 in the rear Wall of the apex close to the bottom angle 21 thereof.

For operation the tub is loaded with clothes and water, with a suitable detergent, to a level about the middle of the mid-belt l9, and then it is rapidly oscillated. At each stage or half of the oscillation of the tub a large portion of the tubs contents is pro jected from the rising side to the falling side thereof, the Water tending somewhat to follow the rising side of the casing, in obedience to centrifugal law, and being deflected by the ribs 38 and 39. T he clothingladen water, projected in large sheets and bodies, tends to trap air in the descending side or" the body as a portion of the load is projected over the apex, and this constant aeration stimulates the activity of the Washing action, keeping the clothing from compacting, and giving access of the water and detergent to all parts of the clothing mass. At the ends of the machine Where the flange 27 has no guard-lip there is little chance for the Water to escape. and the spaces 32 behind the guard lips 31 at the sides oi the machine effectively prevent ivater from getting access to the lront and back joints of the cover. Also those lips, and the coacting lips of the cover tend to keep water from going up into the hollow interior of the cover, and the liiglrarrhcd construction of the cover itself aids in this operation of relieving the cover from shocks teac es the non-compacted clothing and naturally such substances find escape through the openings e9 and 49 into the transverse tube 46. The contents oi this tube are, as l find in practice. very little disturbed by the oscillation of the machine, as the tube is always full of water, its Water-content is'small, and it will be observed that no direct passage for washing to and fro of the Water is provided in the connection of the tube with this body, the openings on both sides of the apex being generally in a forward direction. in actual practice, foreign materials as sand, grit, etc, once trapped in this tube are held there until the washing operation is finished. The tube thus located trans versely of the apex at about its mid-length, adds greatly to the strength of the structure, and when the Washing operation is over the machine may be drained While the tub stands in horizontal position or with its front slightly depressed.

While I have herein described in some detail a particular embodiment of my in; vention, which I believe to be new and advantageous in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous departures from the precise con traction shown may be made Without departure from the spirit of my invention and Within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, What I claim is:

1. a washing machine tub having, at its ends, bearingmembers defining an axis of oscillation, said tub being of greatest width in substantially the zone of said axis and tapering above and below the same, the bottom of said tub being formed into a re entrant apex structure and the end walls of the tub overlying and bracing the ends of he inverted channel that is exteriorly orined by said apex-structure, and a sepatuhe transversely spanning the apex structure adjacent the middle of the length of the latter and bracingly secured to the bottom portion of the tub, said tube extending beyond the front of the tub and provided with a drain cock.

2. A tub structure for an oscil ating washing machine comprising a tub body having bottom zones .21 connected by a central apex slruclure, side Walls diverging from said zones 21 to a mid-zone and converging above said mid-zone to a closable top-opening and (will walls having bearing members located ventrally of the Width of the tub, at about ils greatest width; and a transverse tube ex- (Prior to and below substantially the middle of the length of the tub, said tube having its rear end abutting against a rentrant Wall of the apex. and extending below the front bottom-Zone 21, the forward portion of said tube cut away at its top and sides to embrace the front zone 21 of the bottom and end of said tube progecting beyond the tub aroundthe sides and ends of being bracingly secured thereto, the front and having a drain-cock and said tube communicating with the interior of the tub only through openings close to the front edges of both of the zones 21 of the bottom.

I 3. A tub for an oscillating Washing machine having its side walls converging toward the top, having a top opening, surrounded by an inturned flange extending the opening,

said flange having downbent continuations at its sides and ends, the side continuations of the flange being spaced apart from the converging side Walls of the casing and the end continuations of the flange being secured to the end walls of the casing to form braces.

4.. A tub for an oscillating Washing ma.- chine having its side Walls converging to- Ward the top, having a to opening, surrounded by an inturned ange extending around the sides and ends of the opening,

- said flange having downbent continuations at its sides and ends, the side continuatio'ns of the flange being spaced apart from the converging side Walls of the casing and the end c ontinuations of the flange being divergently bent and secured to the vertical end walls of the tub to form braces.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

- CARL W. SWANSON. In the presence of-- STANLEY W. 000K, MARY F. ALLEN. 

